Agenda

March 5 – 6, 2024

Rubell Museum – 65 I Street SW, Washington, DC 20024 [map]

Tuesday, March 5th

Time
Topic/Activity
Speakers
8:45am - 9:20am
Registration, breakfast, and networking
9:20am - 9:35am
Welcome
  • Laura Huerta Migus, Deputy Director, Office of Museum Services, IMLS
  • Melissa Martens Yaverbaum, Executive Director, CAJM
9:35am - 9:50am
Introduction: Antisemitism Today, What’s at Stake
Speaker:
  • Eric K. Ward — Executive Vice President of Race Forward
9:50am
Overview of Summit Facilitation Process
10:00am - 11:10am
Session 1: Evolving Narratives on Antisemitism in America - Our opening panel will explore past and present narratives about antisemitism in America, the need for new interpretive starting points and directions, and the challenges and opportunities of sharing new narratives with the public.
Speakers:
  • Josh Perelman, Consultant, Weitzman Museum of American Jewish History
  • Britt P. Tevis, Postdoctoral Fellow, Columbia University
  • Dov Waxman, Chair of Israel Studies, University of California, Los Angeles
Moderator:
  • Avi Y. Decter, Summit Co-Chair, CAJM
11:10am - 12:15pm
Session 2: Collections as Evidence / Collections for Engagement - As repositories of history and memory, collections are a core strength — documenting experiences of persecution, showing the resilience and variety of cultures, and providing ways to engage communities in new understandings that can bridge differences and counter antisemitism.
Speakers:
  • Sarah A. Clunis, Executive Director, The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, Wadsworth Atheneum
  • Jenna Leventhal, Interim Director of Programs, USC Shoah Foundation
  • Lisa Sasaki, Deputy Under Secretary for Special Projects, Smithsonian Institution
Moderator:
  • Judith Rosenbaum, CEO, Jewish Women’s Archive
12:15pm - 1:00pm
Small group discussions, continuing over lunch
1:00pm - 1:45pm
Lunch
1:45pm - 2:50pm
Session 3: Convening Conversations with Communities - As public-facing institutions that serve a wide range of publics, how can we function as safe harbors for exploration and dialog – and what do we need to do to expand our capacities and skills in convening needed community conversations, especially in times of crisis?
Speakers:
  • Adam McKinney, Artistic Director, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
  • Sarah Pharaon, Principal, Dialogic Consulting
  • Annie Polland, President, Tenement Museum
Moderator:
  • Jordanna Gessler, Chief Impact Officer, Holocaust Museum LA
2:50pm - 4:00pm
Session 4: Holocaust Museums, Memorials, and Antisemitism - Leaders from Holocaust and memorial museums share their evolving educational strategies that respond to the resurgence of antisemitism in a rapidly shifting and polarized environment.
Speakers:
  • Bernard Cherkasov, CEO, Illinois Holocaust Museums and Education Center
  • Gretchen Skidmore, Director of Education Initiatives, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Carole Zawatsky, CEO, Tree of Life Memorial Museum
Moderator:
  • Judith Margles, Summit Co-Chair, CAJM
4:00pm - 5:00pm
Museum viewing & informal conversation groups
5:00pm
Evening event opens
5:15pm - 5:30pm
Evening Welcomes
  • Cyndee Landrum, Deputy Director, Office of Library Services, IMLS
  • Laura Huerta Migus, Deputy Director, Office of Museum Services, IMLS
  • Tsione Wolde-Michael, Executive Director, President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
  • Melissa Martens Yaverbaum, Executive Director, CAJM
  • Lou Cove, Founder and President, CANVAS
5:30pm - 6:45pm
Session 5: The Arts & Creative Expression - Building Understanding through Culture - What opportunities can the arts open up for museums to show the complexity and variety of Jewish experience, build cultural fluency and understanding, and awaken a different sense of ourselves and others?
Speakers:
  • Micaela Diamond, Actress and Singer
  • Kendell Pinkney, Executive Artistic Director, The Workshop
  • Francesco Spagnolo, Curator, Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life
Moderator:
  • Laura Mandel, Executive Director, Jewish Arts Collaborative
Closing performance:
  • Galeet Dardashti

Wednesday, March 6th

Time
Topic/Activity
Speakers
8:30am - 9:00am
Registration, breakfast, and networking
9:00am - 9:15am
Welcome Back
  • Laura Huerta Migus, Deputy Director, Office of Museum Services, IMLS
  • Vedet Coleman-Robinson, Executive Director, Association of African American Museums
  • Gabriel Goldstein, Summit Co-Chair, CAJM, and Interim Director and Chief Curator, Yeshiva University Museum
9:15am - 10:15am
Session 6: Communicating with Children - This session explores how museums can better serve families and children by illustrating Jewish culture, building empathy between communities, and countering antisemitism — using new exhibition techniques, partnerships, shared resources, and experimentation.
Speakers:
  • Fraidy Aber, Constance Wolf Director of Education and Civic Engagement, Contemporary Jewish Museum
  • Sara Softness, Curator of Special Projects, Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
Moderator:
  • Andrew Ackerman, Consultant
Closing performance:
  • Ben Gundersheimer
10:15am - 11:00am
Small group discussions
11:00am - 12:00pm
Session 7: Building and Sustaining Long-term Partnerships - This session will discuss opportunities and challenges in forging cross-cultural alliances, as museums and libraries work to illuminate history from multiple perspectives, build trust, and incubate new possibilities in a shared society.
Speakers:
  • Laura Huerta Migus, Deputy Director, Office of Museum Services, IMLS
  • Devon Akmon, Director, Michigan State University Museum
  • Felton Thomas, Executive Director, Cleveland Public Library
Moderator:
  • Marsha Semmel, Summit Co-Chair, CAJM
12:00pm - 12:45pm
Lunch, with small group discussions
12:45pm - 1:45pm
Session 8: Re-Charting A Shared Future - In reflecting on our Summit deliberations, how do we envision moving forward together while strengthening democracy, countering antisemitism and hate, and working across differences for the sake of a stronger and healthier collective future?
Speakers:
  • Amy Spitalnick, CEO, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
  • Eric K. Ward, Executive Vice President, Race Forward
Moderator:
  • Judith Margles, Program Co-Chair, CAJM
1:45pm - 2:00pm
Concluding Remarks
  • Laura Huerta Migus, Deputy Director, Office of Museum Services, IMLS
  • Jorge Zamanillo, Board Chair, American Alliance of Museums
  • Melissa Martens Yaverbaum, Executive Director, CAJM